Kira Kira
by xoxoxlovestinksxoxox
Summary: AU mystery. The mystery...who is Kira? It could be anyone, in this universe… Let's see who figures it out...
1. Introduction

**Kira Kira**

**Rating: T**

**Genre: Mystery/Suspense**

**Summary: AU. The mystery: who is Kira? It could be anyone in this universe… Let's see how long it takes ya to figure it out!**

**Disclaimer: Well, no, I don't own Death Note, although I wish I owned Matsuda. XD**

**A/N: Squeak! My new pet project! I'm gonna have so much fun on this one! XD I want to experiment on new styles. Everyone's a suspect. Pay attention to the way this is worded as the story moves along. I was careful about it in this chapter, though. It's mainly to introduce the characters that could be Kira. I'm not stumbling in the dark here, though. I've already decided who will be… Anyway, enough of my pointless rambling, and if you read that, you're awesome. See you at the end!**

* * *

**Introduction**

The prison guard rushed from cell to cell, as if he could stop the chain reaction of deaths simply by witnessing all of them. By the time the whole hall of those violent enough to be placed in solitary confinement was wiped out, the poor man was crouched in the corner, terrified out of his mind. In his entire life working in the prison, he'd never witnessed anything like it. He imagined that he was next, he would be next…

* * *

Light Yagami, age 17, was doing homework in his room as usual when the announcement of the death toll flashed across the small television set. He stared in amazement for a second. Slowly, without tearing his gaze from the TV, his hand reached for his cell phone, movements speeding up when he missed and had to feel around his desk for it.

As usual, his friends didn't really have an educated opinion on the announcements parading across the news channel.

* * *

L was eating a huge sundae with sprinkles and chocolate syrup and all that other cavity-inducing food when he found out the subject of the day's news. It came in the form of "Watari" calling him and informing him that the missing criminal he was in the process of tracking down had been found dead of a heart attack on Main Street that morning.

Of course, due to his contacts and the fact that he was _L_, he already knew abut the killings. He was simply unaware that they were giving away so much information in the media, as well as that he had been wasting his time trying to track down a dead man.

* * *

Misa was giving herself a manicure. She didn't even bother looking up at the news bulletin, although she did grin when the man convicted of her parents' murder was listed as dead. This was true justice!

* * *

When morning dawned on Wammy's House, there was an important assembly in the dining hall. The orphans stared at the news report, wondering why this concerned them. It was like this "Kira" person had killed L.

Mello's eyes widened at the thought. He immediately assumed the worst: _L is dead, and they're saying that this was who killed him!_

He voiced this thought quietly to Matt, who shook his head. "If Kira is killing criminals, he probably admires L as much as we do."

* * *

Near, meanwhile, was on the other side of the room. His brain whirred immediately with possible explanations. For the most part, he was one of the genius kids that were curious as to why they were being showed this. He came up with two possible results. One was that they wanted the orphans to help with this case.

The other was that L thought one of the children in that very room could be Kira.

* * *

Souchiro Yagami and Touta Matsuda found out about the severity of the problem the hard way when they went to work. The detectives were immediately shoved on the crew as Japanese representatives at the Interpol conference.

Matsuda had never heard of L before due to the fact that he was new to the NPA, but when the Chief explained it to him and he heard the confident voice through the computer, the young man was a little nervous. If someone like that would be needing help from the NPA as L later revealed, they must think Kira's a pretty tough guy.

****

A/N: Review! Review, and let me know my efforts on my new project weren't wasted! I hope you'll keep reading! Later chapters will be longer, I promise. This is just to let you know that Kira will be one of the following: Light, L, Misa, Mello, Matt, Near, Souchiro, or Matsuda.


	2. Search

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I've have so much fun toying with it. I'd release a second series that's humorous, and there will be entire forums talking about how it ruined the series, then I would show up and be all like, "So did the movies, but it doesn't mean you have to watch them…" Don't own Nintendo either. If I owned both, I'd give Nintendo to Matt, since he's the only character who would really know what to do with it. XD**

**A/N: That's the most reviews I've ever gotten on one chapter, unless you count this one oneshot I did for Naruto (which is clearly my best **_**oneshot**_**, judging by statistics)… As of the time I'm typing this, that's eight reviews! EIGHT! XD YOU PEOPLE ROCK! AND THOSE WHO ALERTED: YOU OWN! YOU ALL DO!! Yep, it's going to be so much fun! See ya at the end!**

**Alright, thus far, the general opinion to Kira's identity is…Matsuda! Poor Matsu, everyone thinking he's a mass-murderer and whatnot… XD Wouldn't it be so ironic if you were right…? You might be… Maybe there really is more to Matsuda-kun than the idiot everyone takes him for… -shifty eyes-**

* * *

Light was entranced by the television screen, only glancing away to make sure the names he was jotting down didn't stray too far from the lines. The genius scribbled down Kira's victims' names, taking note of any special conditions for the deaths. When the report ended, he just set the black notebook down and shook his head. Not enough information was being released in the news for him to help carry justice along properly.

He stared at the computer. Light knew how to hack into his dad's NPA data files; he'd done it a hundred timed before out of pure boredom. He just wasn't sure if his cause was important enough yet. Besides, by the end of this whole ordeal, it would be pretty difficult to explain that he had started out doing some stuff of questionable legality…

Sacrifices had to be made, he told himself. He would play his part. Who knows, maybe someday everyone would consider him their hero.

Light sorted through several disturbing images of the victims of a serial rapist before he found anything of interest. The rapist had been put in prison a few days ago.

Light added another name as well as a few additional details about the death to the notebook.

The teen with light brown hair scanned a few more documents before deciding that he had bent the law enough for one day. He erased anything that could trace back to his own computer, however. Light wasn't really too keen to explain to his father about his "curiosity" as to the top secret case.

* * *

His father had invited Matsuda over for dinner, and the cheerful young man was chatting with Light's mother over the most random things… Really, Light was a little shocked that anyone had anything on their minds other than Kira. Maybe he was an exception. He was a special case, after all. It drove the teen crazy to do anything halfway.

However, Light was unaware how much the Kira case really was on Matsuda's thoughts. He tried to distract himself from it, despite the fact that he was actually rather enthusiastic about the whole thing. What could go wrong? He was put on the task force for the biggest case of the year. No, century! Not _completely_ unlike Light, Matsuda's spirits soared at the possibility of the Kira situation making him a hero. You'd think someone should be depressed with the criminals dying, but the detective wasn't worried! If he died at the end, it wouldn't matter; because he vowed to die pleased about being able to lend a hand and give his life for a cause! He would prove to everyone once and for all how intelligent he was! Then people could stop disrespecting him!

* * *

Misa, through this whole stage of the Kira case, was doing absolutely nothing of particular interest to the general public, or so it seemed. Model by day, Kira "watcher" by night. She paid close attention to any news reports about Kira, watching for anything to give Kira's identity away.

* * *

Mello and Near lounged around Roger's office floor, waiting for him to speak.

Mello couldn't believe that he had to be right, but he knew he had to accept the obvious truth. They were going to be told of L's death. He knew that Kira would want to keep L alive to catch criminals for him to kill. Kira couldn't have killed him.

Roger finally spoke. "L wants the two of you to go to Japan and help him with the new Kira case."

The older man glanced down at Mello. The blonde boy's expression was priceless.

"He's not dead?"

"Of course not. Who told you that?"

Mello fell back onto the carpet. Making him worry over nothing like it was funny or something…

Near, on the other hand, just dumped his puzzle and started over. "Why is he putting his successors' lives in direct danger?" he wondered quietly.

"We were told that he needs all the help he can get."

"Well, who are we going with?" Mello raised an eyebrow. "You definitely won't let us o to Japan alone. We might make a break for America or something."

"Watari is flying over to pick you up."

* * *

"I never knew L had a jet!" Mello leaned back on one of the soft seats. "All this time and we could've been riding around in it!"

"He obviously didn't have one when he lived in England." Near fiddled with the little hinge on the back of his toy robot, clutching it until the color was forced out of his hands as the plane veered sharply.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matt was slouched over in the back of the jet. The batteries of his DS died, so he exchanged it for his old Gameboy Advance. The teen had to admit, the plane ride was pretty boring without Mello ranting about whatever came to his mind; not to mention how quiet it was without the clicking and snapping of the chocolate. He'd have to put up with the silence, though. L wanted him in Japan, but he had never said why. All Matt knew was that he would be kept in a secluded room with everything he needed for a few weeks. The gamer barely had any doubts that he would be kept under close watch.

The first thing he did when he got into the room was check for cameras. There were none visible, but he decided it would still be safe to assume that L wasn't planning to let a teenage boy trash the hotel room or whatever.

* * *

When they met up with L, there was a lot of Mello and Near pretending to be fully engrossed by the stack of virtually useless data. L searched for similarities between the criminals themselves, while Watari was baking a cake. Eventually, Mello grew bored of the lists of statistics. He left those to Near. The blonde boy hovered over L's shoulder until the older man had Watari bring him an extra laptop and something else to do related to the Kira case.

Therefore, Near was stuck with the pointless stuff. He almost wondered why L had bothered to even collect the data he was chewing through.

At least it wasn't _entirely_ useless. Near knew that had to be true; L wasn't the three world's greatest detectives for nothing.

"Near, have you found anything?"

"Kira's first victim was this man."

Mello snorted. As if knowing that would do them much good…

"Excellent. Are you sure?"

"He was killed the night before the heart attacks started coming on full force. He was also the first prisoner to die of a heart attack with no clear cause in the past year."

L regarded the boy suspiciously.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Alright, review and let me know who you think it is now! Or you could tell me how to improve! Flames will be laughed at, posted on my profile even though no-one ever reads those things, and ridiculed some more. XD And beware of any false leads!! This chapter was mostly forming a basis for you to begin thinking about it all. And the fact that it did give a little bit away about a few characters' innocence, or maybe even one characters' guilt… XD Each chapter will probably get a little longer and longer….


	3. Think

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I would indirectly own **_**a**_** Death Note. And that's never good. XD**

**A/N: I just love reading people's guesses! To inform you ahead of time, but I have no reason to do a double update. I mean, there are three reasons I'm writing this, and this would sakujo one of the three.**

**Thirteen reviews. THIRTEEN. Really, you guys are THE BEST. Even those who read but won't let me know of their suspicions are TOTALLY AWESOME! XD**

* * *

L, Mello, and Near were seated around the television. L was at his desk, a little mike in hand. In the other was a pen, where the detective was making a list of all the criminals to die of heart attacks in the past 48 hours. Mello, on the other hand, was scribbling down the names of those who died earlier. Near was building a castle of dice and mulling over the known facts. If there was one flaw in their reasoning, Kira would never be caught. Criminals would just keep dying…

"It's on," L announced, dropping the pen and positioning one thumb above the power button of the microphone.

A man with a nameplate reading _Lind L. Tailor_ appeared on the news. He made the standard "I am L" claim.

Near peered at him through a gap in the dice. What was L hoping to get accomplished by creating a decoy? The pale teen mentally criticized L a bit more before patching up the hole in the dice. There was no point in even watching it. It was hard to believe that the world's three greatest detectives would do something so rash…

Mello just kept writing. He was confident that there was a method to L's alleged madness.

* * *

Light, meanwhile was watching the news. He was completely amazed that L would show up out in the open like that, with his name and everything.

The teen added "Lind L. Tailor" to his black notebook and waited. Heck, that guy was as good as dead.

* * *

Souchiro and Matsuda were at a meeting, watching the projecting television closely. Matsuda was a little pumped. Here L was, on television, his face right there! He must be pretty confident…

* * *

"Misa, darling; where did you get that vest? The bargain bin?"

"I got it at Sun-Star! It's a designer label, FYI!"

The other model giggled. "Sun-Star? What, are you emo?"

Misa faked a smile. "Why, yes. By the way, what was your name again?" She pulled out a notebook and readied her pink and black feather pen.

Somewhere, in a room near the two warring girls, someone's agent was gaping as Lind L. Tailor died of a heart attack on public television.

* * *

L finally spoke into the activated mike. "I… I can't believe it. I never would have imagined such a thing without seeing it myself. So, Kira, you really do have the ability to kill people without any physical contact…"

Mello gazed up at his role-model. It felt like the man was just going through the motions.

* * *

Souchiro, Matsuda, Mogi, Aizawa, and Ukita opened the door and crowded into the hotel room.

"I'm L."

The detectives from the NPA introduced themselves.

L raised one hand. "Bang!"

Mello smirked as the men jumped.

"If I were Kira, you'd be dead, Yagami-san."

Mello's smirk grew.

* * *

Matt moaned. The gamer stretched and yawned. He'd never thought it was possible to get bored doing nothing. Video games were far more fun when playing them had the potential to get on others' nerves, especially Mello's. Here, there was no Mello. Here, there was just him…

The teen picked up the remote and flicked on the television. Some news reporters were talking about the death of Lind L. Tailor and L's challenge of Kira. The redhead snorted. Idiots, all of them. How could they criticize L? He didn't see them out risking their lives for justice.

Bleh, come to think of it, he didn't see himself out there risking his life either.

Matt groaned again and made his way to the kitchen, flicking the TV off. He would find _something_ to do.

* * *

"Mello," L introduced, gesturing toward the blonde teen, "and Near." His palm swung to indicate the pale boy sitting in his usual half-L manner on the floor. "They are my successors. If I die, they are going to share the role as L."

Mello's brow twitched, but he wouldn't dare argue with the man he looked up to so much. Near just stared in his typical stoic manner up at them.

Matsuda looked at the boys, a little shocked. Why were kids risking their lives for something like this? They must be something special…

L told them to put their cell phones on a table before leading the investigators to a group of chairs. Mello sat down on the floor between Matsuda and L, nipping at a chocolate bar.

"Kira could be anyone," L informed them. "Kira could be in this very room."

Matsuda jumped and looked around, scanning the faces around him for any notice of his reaction. Near was scanning him with those unnerving, non-blinking eyes he seemed to have in common with L.

* * *

Light met "Hideki Ryuuga" at the To-oh University ceremony, where they gave a speech together.

On the way back to their seats, L whispered to Light, "I have something very important to tell you in regards to the Kira case: I am L."

Light spun around. "If you are L, you have my admiration and respect." He hoped he didn't come off as star-struck, or anything. He knew his grin probably looked weird, but it was interesting to meet him. Assuming he really was L, Light might be able to_ help_ the investigation along directly. _Although, the guy really is too bizarre to be a convincing fake, _he reflected, watching the way the detective was sitting from the corner of his eye.

* * *

"Near, do you believe Kira could be Yagami-kun?"

He stared at his tower of Popsicle sticks, lost in thought. After watching him on the cameras, Light seemed like he would be smart enough to get away with murder under the gaze of sixty-five visual recording devices. "There is a one percent chance, until I see better evidence."

Mello scanned another page and waited patiently for L to ask him what he thought.

A minute passed, and the blonde was growing impatient. _Hang on, his opinion matters and mine doesn't?_ "Why don't you interrogate him and find out?"

"That idea doesn't sound too bad." L wandered outside to check for the brown-haired teen at the college. He wanted coffee…

**

* * *

**

A/N: Review and let me know what you think! XD Bonus points to whoever can tell me who coined the phrase, "There is a method to my madness."

**By the way, you guys have officially lowered the percentage of idiots in America to only about 90 percent. Really, I'm impressed by the reasoning, even when it's wrong. XD Y'all rock. Hope you can guess which clues are useless here. Some clues are like hidden messages. Some are just joking around. Some are very minor details and VERY important. Okay, I'll shut up now. Who is REALLY "getting away with murder"? (XD)**


	4. Interrogate

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I wouldn't feel the need to come up with a witty disclaimer for this.**

**A/N: You guys rock. TWENTY-THREE REVIEWS!!**

**Obviously, we all think differently (although one of the reviewers, and I won't tell whether their guesses were right or wrong or even who they are, was DANGEROUSLY close to my way of thinking), but by my way of thinking and disregarding the fact that I know who Kira is… There are three suspects that you can truly eliminate, assuming I'm not an idiot. XD ****PirateCaptainBo**** gets the bonus points for knowing who coined that phrase.**

**TO CLARIFY FOR SOME OF MY AWESOME REVIEWERS: **Kira can only be one of the suspects listed in the first chapter. XD Nice thinking, though, Loyal Subject! And little dog's question will be cleared up in this chapter. So I give you… Interrogate! Oh, and my advice…. Perhaps your reasoning ability goes up by forty percent when you sit with your feet in the chair? XD

* * *

"I am glad you could meet me on such short notice, Yagami-kun."

"It's nothing, Ryuuga."

"Say, why don't I give you a quick test of your deductive reasoning?"

"Alright." _Maybe if this goes well, I'll really be able to help the investigation directly!_

L pulled a few photographs from his pocket. "Kira's victims wrote these in their own blood. This clue leads us to believe he can control people's actions before their death."

Light scanned the three images. He flipped them over, placing them in the order of the print number. The first assumption he made was that the clue was the first letter or word in each line. The first letter technique produced gibberish, but when he looked at the first letter of the first word and the first word of each line after that point… "L do you know…love apples…gods of death?" _Why did I have to say it out loud? It's gibberish, too! Some detective you are, Yagami,_ he thought sourly. "Is this all?"

"Hmmm?" L started a bit, not expecting Light to guess that.

"Is there a fourth note?" Light asked in an almost desperate attempt to save face in front of the world's greatest detective.

L smirked and slid the fake photo into Light's view. "Very good, Yagami-kun. I'm impressed."

Mentally, Light congratulated himself. "Thank you!"

"Of course, I am correct in making the statement that you are an avid follower of the Kira case?"

"Yes." Light offered a smile. _Here it comes! He's going to ask me to join the task force…_

"Do you have any significant theories?"

"It was released on the news that Kira needs a face to kill. But I believe he needs a name and a face." He nodded once to confirm his own idea.

L's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think that?"

"I simply examined the list of the victims and how they were displayed in the news."

"How did you know who the victims were?"

"Um, well, I may have…hacked into my dad's computer once or twice…" A sheepish grin eased its way across his face, and he could feel his cheeks burning with shame.

L opened his mouth to scold the teen, but immediately decided against it. He'd broken the law in similar manners to solve criminal cases. Anyway, he could tell that Light really had the potential to solve this case. The detective nibbled at a thumbnail. Refusing to put him on the task force after announcing he would to the task force would be a bad move. They already didn't seem to be particularly fond of him with the exception of Matsuda, but the cheerful man was fond of virtually everyone and didn't count. The last thing he needed was for them to turn against him or anything of the sort.

"I think you may be a valuable addition to the task force after Kira," he muttered at last. "I am wondering if Yagami-kun may want to join…?"

Light beamed, completely oblivious to the thoughts running through the older man's head. "Really? But I just started college…"

"There's no need to be modest. However, think about it. You would be offering to risk your life to catch Kira."

"I certainly would!" It was like L was offering him backstage passes to the concert of the century rather than an opportunity to, well, die.

"If Kira were in your position, what do you think he would say?"

Light thought for a second. "Kira would turn you down to avoid looking suspicious. But he would set it up so that he ended up working for you in the end."

"Very well." L gave him directions to the hotel room he was at that week. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "No more hacking into Yagami-san's computer."

* * *

Matt finally gave up. The insanely BORED teen picked up the cell phone L had given him, dialing the detective's number.

"Hai?" L greeted him.

"L, I'm bored. I want to help with the case." The gamer scanned the room yet again for any hidden cameras to wave at.

There was a long pause. Then, "Turn the laptop on the desk on."

Matt obeyed. "Yep, now what?"

"Watari will connect it to my server. You will then have access to NPA files."

Matt smirked. He had thought it would be harder to convince L.

Ten short minutes later, Matt was scanning through the documents. There wasn't enough. Some documents were being kept from him.

Matt did the natural thing anyone with the ability would do. He hacked into Souchiro Yagami's computer.

* * *

L stared levelly at the pair of young geniuses. "Are either of you Kira?"

"Near's Kira!" Mello waved an index finger wildly in the pale teen's direction. "He's gonna kill us all!"

L blinked slowly. "Mello, calm down. Near… Is this true?"

"Of course not."

"Why would he admit it if he really was? Near's Kira; I'm sure of it! Throw him in jail!"

"Come to think of it, perhaps I phrased the question wrong…? Could the _both_ of you be Kira…?" L mulled over this for a second, sucking at his thumb thoughtfully.

"Y-you think I'm…" Mello put a hand to his chest to make sure he had heard the pronoun right. "Kira…?"

"I believe there may be two Kiras working together."

Near thought for another second before finally speaking up. "What leads you to this conclusion?"

Mello shook his head again in astonishment. What was L playing at? …How could he think Mello was _either _Kira? Did he think he would_ voluntarily_ work with Near on something like mass-murder? Didn't his _hero_ trust him?

The blonde crossed his arms stubbornly when L started to speak. "It's actually more like intuition," he admitted. "But as you both know, that can be very important to a detective…"

"We shouldn't say anything until we get solid evidence."

"We shouldn't say anything at all!" Mello protested. "How could you not trust your own successors?"

"Mello, your mood swings are making me suspect you, for the most part…" L's eyes widened in vague sympathy, although he was slightly more interested in the teen's reaction.

"WHAT?!"

"I'm talking about your attitude toward Near."

"…WHAT?!"

"A few days ago, after you and Near dropped off something at the police station; you were in a _very_ foul mood. Yesterday, the two of you began to get along in a very unusual way…"

Near blinked. Did L seriously _think_ that was relevant to the two of them being Kira? Actually, the white haired boy hadn't noticed, but Mello _had_ begun to tolerate his existence. "…what an interesting turn of events."

"I'm glad to see we agree." The corner of L's mouth twitched upward.

* * *

"I am sure you know why I have asked you to follow me into this _top-security_ room."

"You…want to make sure we're not Kira?" Matsuda guessed, half-joking.

"Exactly, Matsuda-san." L nodded approvingly.

"Exactly," he repeated to himself with a sigh.

"What do you think of Kira, Yagami-san?"

"I understand what he is trying to accomplish, but Kira could never be more than a mass-murderer in my eyes."

"What do you envision him as?"

"A mislead child."

"…And why?" L was getting news from Watari from his earpiece that unless he could fool the vocal lie detectors around the room, Souchiro was telling the truth.

"He is putting faith in a large cause, but he isn't aware that he is no better than the criminals he kills every day."

Once again, Watari was a little astounded by how green the readings were. Yagami-san was telling the truth.

"Matsuda-san, what is your honest opinion on Kira?"

"I'm…" Well, it would look worse if he told a lie. Besides, isn't honesty the best policy? "I don't know. I mean, isn't it alright if he's just killing criminals? As a detective, I know that it is my job to see his arrest. But sometimes…"

"I appreciate your honesty, Matsuda-san." L nodded understandingly. "You are both clearly not Kira."

Matsuda tried not to laugh.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Please review, I want to know who you think now! Remember the rule about how it's always who you least expect? Well, since the person you least expect is gonna be the person you most expect, why would I do that? Am I saying this now just to throw you off? XD Honestly, I'm kind of worried that this is giving away too much too fast. We'll see by how close your guesses are.

**Review! May Kira not write your name in the 'Note if you guess right. XD**


	5. Eliminate

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, L and Mikami would fight over Matsuda. Oh yes.**

**A/N: You know why Misa wasn't in the last chapter? I will be perfectly honest with you. I forgot about her. Yep, when it cut to Matt, I was going to do a segment with her; but I remembered Matt sitting all bored and alone, so I wrote him instead. Then I realized when reading some reviews that I forgot her. -sweatdrop-**

**The general opinion for Kira seems to be Mello, thus far.**

* * *

Light casually gazed at the numbers in the elevator. The teen waited impatiently.

The doors opened, and much to the nearby old lady's dismay, he bolted out with renewed urgency. Light couldn't wait to start working on the case with the task force!

He haphazardly dodged a young teenager that could have been German or British in his haste. Tossing an apology over his shoulder, Light shoved the key into the lock. It was a card key. Oh, how the impatient future detective was for the little light to flash green!

It blinked red.

Light stared at it for a second longer. Switching hands, he tried again.

The infuriating little device blinked red again.

"I hate you," Light muttered to it.

"I'm not particularly fond of you, either." The teen he'd dodged earlier reached over his shoulder and slipped another card into the machine. A second later, it darted out, and a click came from the handle of the door. "But I apparently have to work with you."

"Konnichi wa, Yagami-kun." L peered at the two over the back of the couch. "…Mello? I thought you were going to get something?"

"The guy from the police station's not here yet." The blonde tossed the yellow and green card onto the little table beside the door.

Near walked out of a hallway to Light's right. "How unfortunate."

Mello glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I am sorry for your loss."

"No, you're not sorry! You think it's funny, you sick, twisted–"

Light found himself grabbing the teen's arm to prevent him from strangling the other boy. "L, when you mentioned some others working with the case; I thought you said that the two were getting along better?" he asked, while the younger teen continued hissing threats.

"I am not a liar, Yagami-kun. They _were_."

"It's not my fault if Near's a–"

Light reached for Mello's other arm and crammed the chocolate into the boy's mouth, successfully cutting off any profanities. A dreamy expression eased across his face as the sweet candy melted.

"Whoa, Light-kun, did we miss something?" Matsuda chuckled from the doorway.

The accused teen stepped away from his strange position behind Mello and cleared his throat. Instantly remembering the reason he was there, Light spun around. "Let's get started!"

Matsuda crossed the room and hooked up his laptop. "Have you found anything, L?"

"My suspicions on Near have been cleared."

Near blinked up at him, his eyes actually widening a bit in surprise. "You never said you suspected me."

"Yes, well, I did. But I have found a reason to doubt you." His gaze sifted to Mello, who was finishing his chocolate bar and ignoring Matsuda, Light, Near, and L completely. "It seems someone else has been behaving rather suspiciously as well. I thought that the two of you may be working together as Kira, but everything is fitting together."

L shoved a tape into the VCR. "This was sent to Sakura TV three days ago. Demegawa did the right thing in notifying us beforehand."

The name "KIRA" appeared on the screen.

"They ripped off your font!" Mello's attention was drawn away from the candy by the sudden flash.

Near raised an eyebrow. "You mean _you_ ripped off his font."

Mello looked at his rival flatly. "That's so funny Near. Really, have you ever considered starting to do standup rather than being Kira?"

"How could I be Kira if you are?"

"You're both Kira. Now shut up." Aizawa shut the door behind him and took off his coat.

"Aw, Aizawa-san! You don't know that!" Matsuda laughed.

Aizawa looked at Matsuda like he was an idiot until the cheerful man turned sheepishly back to his computer.

* * *

"Ryuzaki, a note was drawn on the wall of one of Kira's victims cells."

"In blood?"

"Yes," Watari confirmed through the monitor.

"Send me the image."

A few seconds later, the task force (with the exception of Ukita, whom was sick) crowded around L's computer.

_This world is A rotTen Mess,_

L pulled out is cell phone, stepping out into the hall. "Matt, did you get the image of the message?"

"Yep." Matt tried to copy the exact lettering on a sheet of notebook paper to see if he could find anything out of the ordinary. "It might be a message."

"It very well could be. Perhaps Kira is trying to get in contact with the second Kira? Or the other way around?"

"What leads you to that conclusion?"

"In case you missed it the first time, you pseudonym is scrambled as the capital letters."

"Matt is a common name in America." _Someone must be trying to pin the blame on me. Assuming that Kira is one of those close to L that knows he would catch that…_ A feeling of unease settled in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly getting involved didn't sound like the greatest idea. He could handle it from this little room, but it looked like Kira was either closer than he thought or working with someone else named Matt.

"What's the matter? You sound…nervous."

"Kira may be closer than I thought."

"I have narrowed it down to five people. As for the second Kira, I am not sure where to begin. Although I do have my suspicion."

Matt could picture L's scrutinizing gaze. He winced. When he'd said "suspicion," L hadn't used the plural. And after the latest message… "You suspect me as second Kira," Matt assumed aloud.

"I never said that. The fact that you suppose so leads me to the conclusion that there is at least a one percent chance, however."

Matt stared at the cell phone expressionlessly after sighing a quick goodbye.

* * *

Near looked over the names again.

"_I suspect five people, Near. Here is a list with their names._"

L's words had sounded funny. Why was Matt a suspect? It had "second Kira" scribbled as a note below it, too.

Matt was in England. He hadn't even been called to work on it. Did the clue L had pointed out in the capital letters really sway the detective that much?

Unless…

L had another reason to suspect Matt.

_This means Matt has access to task force information!_

Near's hand slipped, and the tower of dice fell onto the carpet around him. He smirked at his own realization. It made sense now. The secret phone calls, the extra suspicion… Wait… Why didn't L tell them that Matt was working on the case? He was being open about his suspicion of Mello, certainly, but he hadn't bothered to tell Near in private. Then again… The other task force members, even aside from those L suspected, _had_ acted rather strange…

Near stared at the list. _Even though he claims he doesn't, he still thinks I'm Kira._

He glared at his pen a bit, and then scratched another name onto the bottom of the list.

_Light - intelligent enough for the job, as well as suspiciously perfect and eager to join the investigation._

_Matt - mostly suspected as second Kira. Name was scrambled in capital letters on the message: call from Kira to second Kira? Jumped to conclusion that I suspected him due to this. Has close relations to main suspect for Kira._

_Mello - main suspect for primary Kira. Had close relations with Matt, is moody, and evidence on Sakura TV tape._

_Matsuda - is also too eager about the investigation. He seemed nervous during the interrogation, and the lie detector readings came back as negative._

_Yagami - I am not sure why he is a suspect, but instinctively I know that there is something is amiss about this man._

_**Near - L is withholding information that the remainder of the task force clearly receives from him.**_

When Near gave the list back to the detective with a rather flat expression later that evening and the addition was noticed, L's eyes just narrowed.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Hooray for disguising clues as casual conversation! XD This should either reinforce your theories or force you to doubt them… And I hope you'll figure out what you can't go by here…

**You know, reviews equal a happy writer. And a happy writer equals a speedy update… Yeah, I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter up…**


	6. Blurry

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, but for some BIZARRE reason I'm a little scared to even WANT to find out, I suddenly wish I owned Beyond Birthday… **

**A/N: ****Someone pointed out in a review that I forgot Misa. AGAIN. -sweatdrop- She's in this chapter, though…**

* * *

"_There are, indeed, two Kiras working together…"_

Light stared hard at the screen. Suddenly, something struck him as suspicious about the first time they had watched this tape from Kira.

"_They ripped off your font!" Mello's attention was drawn away from the candy by the sudden flash._

L claimed that he hadn't seen the tape or shown it to the boys beforehand. How had Mello known that there were two? Then again, there was always the chance that he was doing it to avoid being gender specific, unlike the rest of the task force who settled for referring to Kira as a male.

Judging by the way it was worded, it must have been someone who knew L had a feeling that there were two. L said that he had only told Light, Near, Mello, and Souchiro…

By the list of suspects, that only ruled out that Matsuda and Matt were working together. But hadn't Mello said something about this Matt kid being in England?

And why would Kira come out and tell them that there were two working together? It couldn't be one of the suspects whom had been told that they were suspected, because then it would be risky to be seen with someone thought to be second Kira.

Unless…

Light scribbled down his thoughts. Perhaps the two Kira were people that could be seen together and have it look naturally?

The tape was getting to the part where Kira grudgingly informed the public that there was not a Kira and second Kira, but instead two people equally sharing the power, when Light's cell phone rang.

"Light-kun?"

"Yes, Misa?"

"When are you going to be over?"

"I have to work on something."

"You always say that! You aren't cheating on me, are you?"

Light sighed. "Misa, I'm dating Takada-chan, remember? I said–"

"NO! Light, you can't see her! She's a skank!"

"Misa, I–"

"Light-kun PROMISED Misa-Misa that she was the only model–"

"And you _are_ the only model, remember? Misa, darling, I don't–"

"I love you! I would do anything for you! I'd–"

"Misa… I'm sorry. But someday you will find someone who–"

"Oh, Light-kun, that reminds me! I heard this thing where these couples make a list. And if they have a shot with the people on the list, they can–"

"Misa, do you have a point? I'm sorry, but I'm very busy and I–"

"Misa-Misa would only cheat on Light-kun for Kira!"

"Did Misa hurt Light-kun's feelings? I'm so sorry, Light! But it's true!"

Light wondered if she was aware that Kira could very easily be a thirteen year old boy.

* * *

Kira smirked a bit. The list that had been shown to everyone working on the task force and easily believed was proof that they all had no proof. _Look how weak those reasons were. They're making this up as they go along and following the only source of authority they can hide behind._

_L, of course._

* * *

"Why do you always have to do that?" Mello snapped. "You think you're so much better than me, is that it?"

"No." Near tugged at the strand of hair he was thoughtfully twirling with one finger.

"Then why?!"

"I look up to you the way you admire L," he admitted. It wasn't a lie. Near simply admired Mello's dedication to beating him.

"…Really? Is that why you–"

Near cleared his throat. "Basically."

"Huh. Who would've thought that the _great_ Near admired the boy who always came in second…" Mello smirked.

* * *

Matsuda, L, and Light were seated around the table in the hotel room's kitchen. Light and L spent the whole time eating absorbed in stacks of documents. Matsuda made a few meek attempts to start a conversation, but after the third Kira barb from L, he gave up and stared off into space.

By the time L was passing out dessert, which Light politely declined, he had decided to give the man a chance for conversation.

"Matsuda-san, now that you are off of the lie detector as well as the pressure; what do you really think of Kira?"

"When was I on a…? You put me on a lie detector."

"You didn't really think I'd believe everything you said, did you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" The detective's rude bluntness hadn't bothered him much before, but Matsuda was starting to get a bit frustrated.

* * *

Matt yawned and glanced over the list of suspects L had e-mailed him…well, sent Yagami-san, anyway…again.

Wait…

He looked at Mello's name.

Matt may not have seen the Sakura TV tape, but what evidence could possibly be on there to solely incriminate Mello?

According to this information, Kira needed a name and face to kill. They hadn't met L for the first time until the start of this case. But Mello was genuinely worried about L having been killed by Kira; Matt could see these things in his best friend.

If Mello was so worried about L being killed, how could he be Kira?

Matt smirked at his realization. _And I'm_ _third in line, huh? Pfft, let's see Mello get out of this one._ He was a little concerned that his best friend was clearly wrongly suspected of being a mass-murderer, but the whole incident was actually rather funny.

The twisted grin disappeared when he minimized the window, revealing the shot of the message on the wall. Could Kira really be calling him? Since it was his fake name being used, it seemed unlikely. All of the suspects listed that knew about his involvement with the investigation had been told of his real name.

Well, duh. L was the only one that knew, unless one of the others who had seen the list figured out that he…

Matt bolted upright in his seat, his spine colliding painfully with the hard back of the chair. What if _L_ was Kira?

* * *

"It means I suspect you to be Kira. Did you not see my list?" L blinked in an almost innocent manner.

Matsuda sighed heavily and ran a hand past his twitching brow. "You could have informed us about that. I would've told the whole truth in the first place." How embarrassing!

"Matsuda-san should have told the truth in the first place… Lying so readily? That sounds similar to Kira's mentality…"

Light, meanwhile, felt a bit sorry for the man being interrogated. At first, he had planned to sit back and let the older detective do his job. But the last thing they needed was Matsuda storming out, Kira or not. "How would you know so much about Kira's mentality, Ryuzaki?"

The retort caught L off guard a bit. "Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my accusations."

Light's eyebrows shot up. L had avoided the question.

He got the same idea that Matt had. What if _L_ was Kira…?

* * *

"I love you. I don't care if you want me dead or not!" The dark haired detective sighed dismissively.

"How many times must I tell you that I am not the murderer? But I do love you... I could never want you dead…" The murderer suspect with short, light hair was speaking.

…Misa sighed and flipped the page. She loved manga.

* * *

The second Kira put down their book and stalked over to the window.

**

* * *

**

A/N: You thought that was Light and L confessing their love near the end, didn't you? -snickers- The Kiras are actually SEEN in this chapter!

** I'm still hoping you'll leave a review, though. (What? I love reading them! AND I never update until I hit at least six per chapter. Notice that?) **

**Who else could see Light and Misa as the couple who can't stop interrupting each other during long phone conversations? XD Anyway, the conversations in this chapter are not altogether useless. Some of you are scarier detectives than L. I feel like Kira since I have to hide him (or her). I can understand why Light kept cracking under pressure now. I've had a couple reviews that made me wince. XD**

**The general opinion of Kira, according to the last poll, is Matsuda. Poor Matsu-kun. XD And nobody really suspects Light or Misa according to the poll, either. **


	7. World

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I'd be rich and have all the good manga in the world. (No Yu-Gi-Oh. Sorry, guys.)**

**A/N: Kekeke, WHO VOTED THAT I'M KIRA? ****Loyal Subject**** and I (well, mostly LS since I seem to make a better Kira than an L) figured who one of the votes was… But she wasn't the only one! -shifty eyes-**

**THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS AND THE VOTES IN THE POLL AND THE READING AND FAVES AND ALERTS… I reached my six reviews in a few hours. That is so a first! As a reward for the TEN LOVELY REVIEWS for the last chapter…you get a chapter faster than usual, and although I usually stop at five pages, this one ran a little longer.**

* * *

Near's eyes were being forced open by the blinding light. A tear trickled down his cheek, but seemed to evaporate halfway to his chin. L's successor had a pretty good guess that his retinas were being fried by the intense white glare.

On the other hand, white was definitely NOT his favorite color any more.

Faces swam into view, but the light made it impossible to focus on any of them in particular. Finally, a blissful shadow eclipsed the blinding light; he was cast onto a hospital bed.

White still danced across his field of view. However, this was merely an ordinary, sickly clean hospital shade.

The "tears" that had trickled down his face earlier were really antiseptic, the young teen discovered upon catching his reflection in the side of the metal heart monitor screen beside him. He also looked pretty bad off…

_What's going on, anyway…?_

* * *

L crouched in the waiting room. "Mello, it is understandable that you would be worried. However, it would be nice if you stopped pacing."

"Kira must have failed to kill him…" Mello sat down, rubbing the toes of his shoes together.

L ignored the statement for the most part, due to the distraction of Matsuda dancing in. "What is it, Matsuda-san?"

"The doctor said he was awake!"

* * *

"Hi, Near." Mello pursed his lips and peered at the small teen in a half-interested manner.

"Mello," the boy mumbled in reply.

"So ANYWAY," Mello continued, sitting down grandly in the nearest chair, "I KNOW it feels like you got hit by a truck. It wasn't QUITE a truck. One of those Suzuki Cervo."

"How did you know…?" Near's voice was incredibly soft; Mello had to rest his chin on the side of the bed to hear him.

L and Mello exchanged a glance. L blinked at Near for a moment. "The police informed us. We were also with you…"

Mello jumped back. "Near…how much do you remember?"

"Something about seeing a black notebook in a store window... And I walked toward it from across the street. I had the eerie feeling that Kira was nearby."

L bumped into a piece of hospital equipment, catching a small ring with the tip of his index finger before it hit the floor. "I never expected Near to believe in that sort of intuition."

Mello, meanwhile, was laughing. "What does a notebook have to do with KIRA?"

L looked at him strangely. "You aren't a particularly good liar."

Mello turned to his role model and puffed out his cheeks. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are Kira."

"What? We had a deal! If you stopped with the Kira accusations in front of people, I'd–"

Near coughed, wincing a bit at the uncomfortable spasm in is throat. "Please stop arguing…"

"See? You're scaring Near." The stubborn teen crossed his arms and turned away from the older man.

L just sighed. "Near, you probably confused a dream with reality. However, it isn't completely impossible for the notebook to be a sign," he allowed, gazing up at the ceiling.

* * *

Mello kicked at the books along the bottom shelf. "Why are we HERE?" It wasn't that he didn't like to read, he just didn't like to read _dream dictionaries_.

"It seems as though it would be in our best interest to humor Near-kun." L was used to using honorifics with the task force; he didn't even notice he'd said it unnecessarily.

Mello spotted a shelf full of the type of book L was scanning for, but he didn't say anything. That would teach him to break his end of their little deal… "Well, what if it wasn't a dream? We're wasting our time here."

L looked up at him, surprise painted across his face. "If it wasn't a dream, how do you explain it? Mello-kun was there. There was no black notebook in the shop windows."

"Let's go check, then."

L opened his mouth to argue back before he spotted the rack of dream dictionaries behind Mello. The detective tugged at one thick volume.

"A notebook is a sign that you are attempting to keep on top of things with detailed records…" L blinked at Mello. "It means he's trying to keep on top of things and stay a step ahead of Kira. Or maybe stay ahead of the detectives…?"

Mello smacked his forehead. "Although I agree that Near may be Kira, I think he's lost his memories of it when he was hit. And if the killings stop, you won't be able to argue!"

A small crowd had gathered around the two, eavesdropping on the odd conversation they were having in the middle of a bookstore. L was about to resort to switching to English, but he decided that enough of them would understand it too well. He would start speaking in French, too, but Mello probably didn't know it.

"It is possible Kira is someone who will find out that Near-kun is in the hospital. However, I've been more concerned about figuring out the second Kira first."

Mello swallowed and shook his head. "Alright then."

L had to feel a bit sorry for the teen. He had to grow up before his time; the stress was certainly showing up in his behavioral patterns.

The speck of remorse that had always kept the bizarre detective linked to the rest of humanity slipped back behind his mask.

* * *

Light and Matsuda sat across the room from Near. The three pretty much just stared at each other until Matsuda coughed to break the suffocating silence. "Who do you guys think Kira is?"

Light paused for a long moment. "I believe the second Kira to be Mello. Kira might even be Ryuzaki."

Matsuda smiled. At last, someone didn't think he was the murderer here! "Near, what do you think?"

"I don't remember…"

"His memory was damaged when the car hit him," Light offered, although it was really just pointing out the obvious. "Near, did Mello and Ryuzaki say where they were going?"

"Bookstore." Near yawned; his throat still felt like he'd chugged salt water.

Light chewed the tip of the pen he'd taken from his shirt pocket. "This is…off-topic. Do you think it's possible for Kira to kill with methods other than a heart attack?"

"Ah, Light-kun…" Matsuda grinned sheepishly. "Do you think that maybe this is a bad place to discuss that type of thing?"

"I'm listening," Near rasped, ignoring Matsuda completely. "What makes you say that?"

Light chewed on his thumbnail in a familiar manner, much to the other guys' amusement. "The lack of proof that he can only use heart attacks… If you can't find something there…look for something that _isn't_ there."

Near looked a little disappointed. "That's not enough of an excuse. The rule doesn't apply here."

* * *

"…L–"

"Ryuzaki."

"Wasn't that…?" Matt shook his head. "Ryuzaki," he muttered to test it out, snickering a bit at the memory of a story of a case back in 2002. "Why am I in Japan?"

"You will be taking over for me if the case proves to be too difficult."

Matt dropped the phone. The teen scrambled to recover it. "Wh-what?"

"I did not stutter, Matt-kun. If I die, you are to take over as L."

"Why me? Why not…Near?"

"Near was recently…hit by a car."

If it were an anime, Matt would have sweat-dropped at the sheer bluntness of the statement. "Is Mello alright?"

"He seems to have taken a hit emotionally. However, that may simply be the Kira case at work on his nerves."

Something about that didn't sit right with Matt. Mello may have always been emotional, and quite overdramatic, but that just didn't sound right. "So I get actual human contact, aside from calls with you and…_Watari_…when, now?"

"When I am dead or when the case is solved. Whichever comes first. However, if I die, the case should be fairly simple at that point. I expect Kira might let his guard down if Near is still in the hospital."

"You said you suspected Near."

"Hmm, perhaps I do." Had L seriously forgotten how much information he'd given away? "However, there is still an uncomfortably large chance that Kira is not even one of the suspects."

"I see."

"That is to say that for all we know, Kira could be…Amane Misa, on the cover of this week's Eighteen magazine."

Matt chuckled a bit at the thought. "Yes, but what are the odds of that?"

Well, higher than he knew.

* * *

Souchiro leaned back on the couch, reaching for the remote. Finally, he got a bit of time to himself. What, with his second job and the Kira case, he barely had time to stop for air… The agenda for the night consisted of falling asleep in front of the television, hopefully with Sachiko leaning into the crook of his arm.

He flicked it on.

_Kira. Kira. Oh, look, here's an anime called…Death Note…_

Souchiro flicked the television off. Maybe he'd just work a bit more.

* * *

A kitten prowled the alleyway, a newly stolen pen gripped in its mouth. It hopped along the lids of the trash cans, finally stopping at a window.

The second Kira, upon seeing the cat, opened the window and accepted the pen. The little ball of fur wrestled it away, though. It leapt into the room, bolting out of the opened door.

The second Kira winced. They had lost their pen, ironically, and couldn't find another. Strange behavior in a kitten was the least of their concerns, however.

* * *

"Useless. Useless."

L was up late that night, scanning the papers spread out across the table before him and brushing some into a wastebasket. The detective was getting a bit frustrated, and that was certainly never a good sign.

Light offered him coffee, but the sleep-deprived man ignored him.

"Useless, useless, useless."

It was obvious that it wasn't stress Light's first real friend was feeling. "Do you do this every time you have a case, Ryuzaki?"

"No. I rarely do it at all. Useless…"

"Ah, then why…?"

"The sheer amount of information we had seemed like it was beginning to intimidate the other investigators."

"Aren't you afraid you will throw away something important to the case?"

L was too busy to bother coming up with a retort, so he just kept sorting. "Useless."

Light's eyes narrowed. That was exactly why he suspected L in the first place. The strange man would do something so completely out of character that could possibly jeopardize the outcome of the case.

L, on the other hand, was fully aware of the suspicion. A little of it was healthy, actually.

L planned to come out on top, though. He always won.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Scary detectives.

**Now I REALLY know how Light felt. I'm terrified that this is moving too fast, to add to the situation. XD**

**I suddenly feel so bad about what happened to Near! I have absolutely nothing against him. Y.Y By the way, that "notebook" thing is from an online dream dictionary, paraphrased.**

**Please review! Remember, I don't update until I get at least **_**seven**_** reviews to a chapter! XD**


	8. List

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Death Note. If I did, I would own Another Note. And this mystery would be way better. Haha.**

**A/N: I got eight reviews…overnight. On a TUESDAY. I checked my e-mail at six the morning I started this chapter, and there was the "Review Alert" message, with a little eight beside it. Love you all! Haha, in the least creepy way possible!**

* * *

The task force, minus Near and the behind-the-scenes Matt, was seated around the glass table in the hotel room. L sat in the armchair and observed the silent atmosphere, wondering if they thought he would announce Near's death or something of the sort. The head detective fixed them all with his analytical gaze, shoulders tense.

Finally, Watari brought him his cake. L visibly relaxed.

"I am eliminating Matt from the list of suspects."

Matsuda blinked. "You called us here for that?" He'd been genuinely worried about Near, too…

L ignored him. "If he were either Kira, he would not have made such a ridiculous move."

"Ryuzaki," Yagami-san sighed. "Maybe that's what he wants you to think?"

"I considered that." L regarded the suspected chief rather flatly. "His reaction to the news felt true to me… That alone is obviously not grounds to clear suspicion."

"His reaction?" Mello jumped. "Is he…in Japan?"

"Of course not." L gave Mello a strange look. "However, he has been under surveillance since you and Near became involved in the case. Unless he can continue killing criminals on camera, he has not been the one killing them. It is quite possible that he was aware of the recording equipment, however…"

"Ryuzaki, perhaps you should have thought this through… You sound like you're starting to doubt your own reasoning." Light helped Watari pass out a bit of tea to the team of detectives.

"I do not doubt myself, Yagami-kun." L blinked insistently up at the teen. "I simply _know_ that Matt-kun is not Kira." L didn't think he could say any more without telling them that Matt was in Japan.

Telling them would completely _ruin_ his plan. Openly suspecting him was a HUGE risk, too. Besides, L would not have brought Matt to Japan in the fist place if he had thought that he could possibly be connected to Kira.

_Matt-kun is not Kira,_ L thought firmly, as if willing it to the others would convince them.

* * *

Near blinked and peered curiously around the room. There was something tickling at the edge of his memory, but he couldn't piece together where it was coming from.

He could almost hear the music that fills the silence on classic cartoons. With each flick of his head, the imaginary pianist dashed his wrist along the keys…

Near wondered what he would do if there really was a pianist in the room. A masked man crouched at the keys, strumming that innocent melody his medication-fueled imagination was allowing him. It prevented the room from being all plain and white, although Near was starting to think of that as his choice color once again.

_Now, what if the pianist were Kira?_

Near was somehow fully aware that this was where the train of thought had been dragging him all along, stringing him back to the dark shadow in the corner he'd attempted to block out for a little while.

Actually, having this pianist as Kira made perfect sense: Kira was chasing away the white plainness of the hospital, like that dark shadow he compared him to. _But that's not how Kira thinks!_ Near stared at the corner he was picturing the masked musician in, his eyes wide. When Kira caught his reflection in the side of the heart monitor, he didn't see the thug Near viewed him as. Kira would see himself as something _pure_ and…

…And white…

The daydream had turned into a hallucination, Near noticed, breaking it off with the ease of an advanced mind. He made a mental note to ask the nurse to switch his meds – he hated being so loopy.

No, no, no. It was actually helping him think outside the box a bit here. What if you could tell who Kira was by the color suit he wore? Near dismissed this theory immediately. Ridiculous. The only rational option then would be Matsuda, due to his trademark blue suit. Near had eliminated him a long time ago anyway.

So he would look at some of the suspects individually.

Light…wasn't Kira. L's reasoning to suspect him was too weak. Besides, he hadn't fallen for the traps L had set, had he? Near paused to wonder why such a great detective would bother with rash accusations of the sort.

Rash accusations… L seemed to enjoy referring to Mello as Kira the most. Near didn't see any real reason to suspect him. The evidence on the tape that was said to imply the he and Mello were Kiras – mainly the reluctant plea to refer to the first and second Kiras as equal – was leading to fallacious reasoning at best.

Getting a little sidetracked, Near thought back to his hallucination about Kira the pianist. So…who did he suspect?

Near's thoughts ran the same way Light's did.

Near suspected L.

He was making so many rash moves. That couldn't really be his style, could it? The great detective got where he was through a little logic and a lot of blind luck… Hah, Near found that VERY hard to believe. Except…why would L get involved in such a case? If he met people and worked on it with them like that, he'd just be digging his own grave! Kira needed a name and a face to kill, but even L didn't have Mello and Near's names. Heck, Near himself only had his own name.

What about…Yagami-san? Highly likely as well, although not so much as L. Near though for a moment, however. …If Near was L _and _Kira and he knew who the second Kira was, then how would he treat the second Kira? Obviously, he'd put the real second Kira on the suspects list to avoid suspicion. Then, he'd need a scapegoat – someone to accuse as Kira. And the real second Kira would not have his suspicion voiced. He'd had enough Loveless manga shoved under his nose against his will back at Wammy's House to understand that sort of thing: voicing something that dangerous was bad karma. However, the only person on the suspects list, besides Matt, that L never openly accused was _Souchiro Yagami._

Checkmate. Near had his own prime suspects in this.

* * *

"Hey, have you figured out how you're going to get that pen yet?"

The second Kira regarded the shinigami flatly. "Are you sure you can't just lend me yours?"

Ryuk chuckled. "No. I need it."

"Not even for...an apple?"

"I can get that myself. That won't bribe me." Ryuk downed his third apple in the past ten minutes to add to his point.

"Alright. I'll just ask Watari to stop buying–"

"W-wait! What was it you needed?"

The second Kira smirked slightly. "A pen. I lost mine."

Ryuk tossed the human his own pen from the shinigami realm.

The sight of him holding such a large, bizarre object made Ryuk chuckle some more. "Would it be easier if I just took a pen from the older human's room? He has plenty in his suitcase, I noticed…"

The second Kira blinked. "It could have been that simple?"

"Yeah…"

"I spent an hour debating with you about the methods of writing in the Death Note…but you knew that there was a pen in Watari's room the entire time."

"Pretty much."

* * *

Since the Kira case started, Yagami-san had been having nightmares.

Half of the time, he couldn't even tell which side he'd been standing up for when he was killed in the dreams. When he could, it was always different. He'd dreamt of being a framed "criminal," falling forward off the hard bed in his cell. In one, he'd been investigating the Kira case only to find an answer; before he could tell L who Kira was, Yagami-san was always clutching at his chest for lack of air.

But his personal favorite was the nightmare of Matsuda discovering that he had killed L and shooting him. Ironically, it was the least frightening. The heart attacks were more mysterious than a clichéd bullet wound.

**

* * *

**

A/N: I'm a little liar… GOMENASAI; I told LS (no, not my other personality, haha) I'd update…earlier. Oops…And now I need to beta Mika-san's story. -is totally behind in life-

**On the other hand, I've been practicing my actual writing. I think I'm improving! XD**

**ANYWAY, Mika-san is doing a spin-off on this soon. By my permission, obviously. "Eru Eru." (Title may change.) Check it out! When we first talked about it, she seemed to be able to think it through more than I had… -sweatdrop- Go to her profile through her comments on here and set her on alert!**

**Also… review! The reviews actually seem to be proportional to the quality and quantity of the chapter, although the update speed is, unfortunately, unaffected. I hope I can update more often now! XD**


	9. Cold

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, you shouldn't expect more mystery fanfics from me. But I'm planning on more! Haha, I'm getting good at this hiding Kira business.**

**(Title of this chapter is a tribute to my favorite song, "So Cold" by Breaking Benjamin.)**

**A/N: You know what the problem is with anonymous reviews? I have trouble thanking you for them! Haha, when y'all tell me your thoughts, I can't answer them! I'm not complaining, though. I love all reviews. XD I wanna know everyone's thoughts. HOWEVER, if you think into things too much, you aren't still clear. I've even hidden some red herrings in past chapters, waiting for people to over-think them.**

…**Or have I?**

**Anyway, the opinions really start flying in this chapter.**

* * *

Light was thinking. Well, perhaps that is a ridiculous statement. It would be more accurately described as focusing his entire mind on the papers scattered across his bedroom floor and scribbling furiously at even more sheets of notes. There was so much dead information…why had L bothered to collect it? If the detective didn't repeat his bizarre actions soon, Light thought he might be forced to box up some stacks of documents himself. This was dead weight! Why did they need to know if any of the suspects had recently lost a PEN?

When confronted, L defended it by saying that Watari had recently lost one, and he wanted to know if the others had the same problem. …There was a MASS-MURDERER with a GOD-COMPLEX out there, and L was concerned about his caretaker losing a PEN. An ordinary, cheap quality, plain black pen that they sell at convenience stores was mixed up in a case to catch Kira.

…It really made Light want to bang his head against the wall.

However, it did succeed in increasing his suspicion of L.

* * *

Near had been doing a lot of thinking since he'd been put into the hospital. But only a small percentage of it had really been productive, thanks to the dodgy medicine he'd been treated with.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that L was Kira. Yagami-san had to be second Kira. Near was so sure…

To his vast relief, Light entered the room.

"Good morning, Near-kun. Ryuzaki will be up in a few minutes. He may be getting something for you at the gift shop!"

Near doubted that they called the stores in hospitals "gift shops," but he was too excited about his theories to care. "Ryuzaki is Kira," he mumbled, glancing toward the door.

Light stared in slight shock for a second before poking his head out of the doorframe. A moment later, he eased it shut and crept over to the hospitalized teen. "You think so, too?"

Near nodded a bit, and then he wished he hadn't. Pain flared up the back of his neck. "I have been thinking about it quite a bit."

Light nodded, regarding the boy who was somewhere around four years younger than him with full seriousness. "I had the same theory. However, we can not assume this makes it correct." He stood up, pacing slowly across the room. "I will stop by here alone later. We'll talk more about it then."

As if on cue, L walked in empty-handed. Both younger males regarded him suspiciously.

"Weren't you at the gift shop?" Light asked.

"…Hospitals do not have gift shops, Yagami-kun."

* * *

"Mello-kun… Please tell me your thoughts on this."

The blonde boy leaped to his feet and made his way across the hotel room to L. "What is it?"

Another prisoner had left a message on the wall in blood.

_The end is NEAR._

Mello covered his totally inappropriate laugh up with his palm. "Y-yeah, what about it…?" He slid his nose down his arm, giggling madly into his elbow.

"It is not funny, Mello. In fact, it is very serious."

"It sounds more like Kira was making a joke to me."

"A joke? This is a highly sophisticated message. Not to refer to Kira as sophisticated, that is."

Mello sobered up. "Look, see? If Kira is one of your suspects, we have several options. Did Near kill him to throw off suspicion? You told the task force that the scramble took away from suspicion of Matt."

"Near-kun would not fall for that."

"Is that what he wants you to think?"

"It is an incredibly risky move. Ridiculous. And how would one of the task force members present at the meeting leak information to him?"

Mello sighed. Very easily, unfortunately. Near was dangerous. "Okay, second option. Kira is someone else, and wants you to suspect Near."

L rubbed his lower lip with his thumb. "It is not completely unlikely. But only Matsuda-san would be simple enough to expect me to fall for it."

Mello nearly sweat-dropped. For once, he was actually thinking, _Poor Matsuda._ "Third option. It really is a joke that Kira expects you to take seriously and waste time on."

L gave Mello another flat glance. "If you insist," he allowed dryly, thinking that there was a fourth option.

His hand hit a chocolate bar, sending it into the wastebasket beside the desk. _There was a fourth option!_

"Near is Kira, and Mello is the second Kira. Mello-kun did it to make me suspect Near-kun. The scrambled voices on that tape fit their personalities startlingly well. They'd started getting along in that weird way. But all along, Mello had been waiting for the opportunity to take over!"

L turned and stared at Mello, eyes wider than usual.

"…What?" Mello was a genius, and he hadn't caught more than his alias in L's extremely fast speech.

"You are the second Kira."

"No…" Mello's voice was patient, like he was talking to a confused child rather than a world-famous detective. "I am not. I thoroughly believe that Near is Kira, and Yagami-san is second Kira." L was merely scrambling in the dark, now. He randomly accused anyone who didn't give him the opinion he wanted…

"You are the second Kira."

Mello sighed. "Well, even if I helped you catch the real Kiras, you still wouldn't believe me. So I'd be wasting my breath trying to deny your false accusations."

* * *

And so it went. Everyone had their own "suspects" in the case. Even Kira himself, probably. Matsuda began to make a list from what he had heard.

Light was convinced that L was Kira. Mello was probably second Kira, according to his theories.

L had no doubts that Near was Kira and Mello was second Kira, as he had said to Mello.

Near mentioned once during a visit that he believed L to be Kira and the Chief to be second.

Mello thought that Near was Kira and Yagami-san was second Kira.

The Chief said that he suspected Mello as Kira and Matsuda as second Kira, much to the officer's disappointment. He still found it difficult to think any less of his role-model, however.

Ukita never trusted Near. He talked like he thought Near was both Kiras.

Aizawa suspected Light. Something didn't sit right in his stomach about the boy. And he'd also mentioned having the same discomfort around Near.

Mogi had refused to voice his opinions on the case when Matsuda asked. The cheerful officer took that to mean that he was the quiet man's primary suspect.

Matsuda didn't put his own thoughts down. That would be stupid. He knew his thoughts, so why add them to the list?

* * *

L felt like he could eliminate Light, finally. He was slightly annoyed that he still didn't have enough information to take Near and Mello out of the equation, however. In actuality, it was just the opposite.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Hey, do hospitals in Japan have gift shops? I know they do in America…

**I should shut up and let you review. I won't be setting up a poll for this chapter – less and less people are voting in them…**

**ALSO… IMPORTANT… I feel like people are losing interest… And as much as I'd love to wait around for more reviews, I don't want that happening! Although I guarantee I will be writing more mysteries in the future. I love doing it. XD**

**In other words, Kira and second Kira will be revealed in chapter eleven. The next chapter is the second to last – hopefully you'll figure it out. A major chapter to look in for the second Kira is chapter seven, by the way. I thought I'd given it completely away… Whew.**

**And the reason I'm posting this after only five reviews is for that reason. And I needed something to help me put off my English project. -dead- The next chapter, second to last, will be posted when…I think it should. I know, I reek. -laughing-**


	10. Late

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, the person who is Kira in this fic would really be Kira. And the person who's second Kira here would probably second Kira. However, the ending I have in mind would be different.**

**A/N: HERE IT IS, GAIZ! XD LAST CHAPTER BEFORE YOU GET YOUR ANSWER! -squeal- I'm so excited– I can imagine some of your reactions to the end! And I'm planning another mystery. A case to find out who killed Watari, in an AU. Poor Watari-san… Why do I feel like picking on him?**

**I love the reviews. Really I do. Thank you all for sticking with me. Especially in the beginning. I think I've improved as the story progressed. My writing is noticeably more carefully worded, here and elsewhere.**

**This chapter was originally going to be much longer. But I ran out of things to say. Things jumped ahead of me. -sweatdrop-**

* * *

"We've spent the past _hour_ debating on methods of investigation, but you still cling to your own ideas so stubbornly?" Mello crossed his arms indignantly. At first, he hadn't been worried about L suspecting – no, declaring – him as the second Kira. But it was getting rather ridiculous.

"Mello-kun, it is not stubbornness. I truly believe that you are the second Kira."

"That would be stubbornness."

"Not technically."

"Yes… You're doing it now!"

"Doing what?"

"Being stubborn!"

"Am I?"

"You are."

"Your aggressive attitude reminds me of Kira."

Mello growled something under his breath, stalking out of the room to calm down.

* * *

Near was coming home from the hospital.

Well, the term "home" is used rather loosely. In fact, he was really moving into the newly built task force headquarters around the same time as the rest of the officers. It would serve as a home to all of them throughout the remainder of the Kira case, and could accommodate up to sixty people if the task force expanded. The massive building was anything but inconspicuous, however. When Near first saw the concrete skyscraper from miles away, he cringed. But then again, Kira most likely wouldn't expect that the headquarters in charge of his demise was so blatantly obvious and...HUGE!

The boy tugged at his white pajamas. He had a number of new theories to discus with L, most of which were fake. Why should he tell L that he suspected him of being Kira? That was a one-way ticket to an early grave, in all honesty; Near had hoped to solve the case before he died rather than as a result of it.

* * *

Late that night, Near was still unpacking his diverse wardrobe of white pajamas and one white suit (which he made a mental note to have cleaned) when a knock sounded at his door. The eerie banging, upon further inspection, was discovered to be Mello.

The blonde boy shuffled through a black notebook, his smirk seeming very out of place. "I heard you had some theories on the case. Want to have a little chat, kid?"

"I'd rather not," Near replied bluntly, slightly disturbed by the expressions Mello was sending his way.

"I think we should. Yeah, let's…"

* * *

"Chief! Chief!" Matsuda skidded down the hall in his socks, blushing at his obviously unprofessional manner.

Predictably, he had gotten lost in the large building. The cheerful man hoped L wasn't watching the security monitors. He probably was a sight to behold, running around in such a disheveled state.

At last, another corridor opened up before Matsuda, but Yagami-san was shuffling a stack of papers and not paying attention to where he was going. Matsuda slammed into the older man in his haste.

The little slip of paper he had planned to slip to Souchiro fluttered to the floor.

* * *

And the next day, Kira had his memories back. As soon as Kira and the second Kira emerged from the alleyway hugging the building that they had met in, Kira glanced around.

"Ryuk," he muttered, peering over his shoulder at the shinigami. "Since we are now sharing ownership of the notebook, even though the second Kira has primary ownership, does that grant him any special abilities with the 'Note?"

"Uh…I don't think so."

"You don't–"

"Second Kira? We _agreed_ that we were _equals_ in this…"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"You didn't forget."

Kira ignored his accomplice and strolled leisurely back into the building. Ryuk wasn't at his shoulder, opting to stay with the primary owner of the Death Note.

It turned out that Matsuda's little list had come in handy after all. It was especially good to know who Near had suspected. Kira knew that the white-haired boy was really the largest threat in this little game, and not one to be taken lightly.

But Kira clearly didn't have to worry about Near anymore.

Kira needed to worry about Mello. He had needed to be concerned about getting rid of the blonde boy all along, rather than preventing Near from catching the second Kira. And he needed the ownership of that notebook – he'd decided to make the eye trade. It was for the good of the world. For the result. The perfect world…

* * *

Light had quite a bit of trouble defending his opinion of Kira to Mello. The blonde boy insisted on Yagami-san's role, but Light was over fifty percent sure that L was Kira! His dad was innocent! And Mello was clearly just saying so because he was second Kira. In fact, Light was seventy-five percent positive on that one. However, that reasoning fed off of L being Kira, so…

Come to think of it, and Light hated to consider the idea, but suddenly…

"L, in the event that you were to die, who would lead the task force? Near?"

L let out something that could either have been a dry chuckle or a cough. "Actually, in the event that I die…there won't be a case, Yagami-kun." With that, L hopped to his feet and prowled through the arching doorway. Let him interpret that as he will.

* * *

Kira knew that the second Kira wanted him dead. In fact, the feeling was mutual. He was already regretting his decision to get a second Kira. Now, his perfect world, his position… It was all threatened. He needed the ownership of that notebook. Also importantly, he needed to make sure that the second Kira did not make the eye trade. Fortunately, the second Kira didn't even know about the shinigami deal.

…He hoped.

"Yagami-kun… If I die in the next few days…"

Light perked up. That was what he wanted to know…

"Near is Kira. And Mello is second Kira. Please act under this assumption even if one of them dies as well. There is no way they could share their power without killing each other over it anyway." His eye twitched in mild disgust.

Light deflated. That WASN'T what he wanted to know.

"Do not inform the others of this conversation under any circumstances. It will be clear in time. You will simply verify what is sent out."

"Ryuzaki, you're not making any sense."

"I will, Yagami-kun; be patient."

* * *

"So…how's it gonna end?" The second Kira stared at the shinigami through the glass of water, making his eyes look huge. He couldn't wait to see what happened next, as if he were reading it as in a book rather than living it, _controlling_ it. The next chapter would depend entirely on him. He had the world at the tip of his fingers…

He looked through the glass of water, almost chuckling at the strange red tint it took through the shinigami eyes.

* * *

"The Kira case is at a standstill, Dad." Light threw a stack of papers onto his father's desk. "I have a few theories as to the why, but they're vaguely disturbing."

"If you've come to try to convince me that Ryuzaki is Kira, I apologize. I am certain I know who Kira is."

Light rested his head against his palm. "Dad, this is the NPA. Try to keep an open mind."

"What would you say if I told you I had proof?"

* * *

Matsuda certainly hadn't had a nervous breakdown in a while.

He curled up on the couch of his room at the headquarters, hugging his knees. He debated whether quitting the Kira case was necessary. No, he wouldn't give into fear!

He reached for his phone, immediately reaching Light's room.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" He grinned sheepishly, even though Light couldn't see it. "Um, I kind of…left before he announced it."

"Announced what?" Light probably knew what he was talking about, though.

"…Could you tell me when the funeral is?" Matsuda found it hard to believe that his own voice had taken such a grim tone.

There was a long pause. "He didn't say," Light offered softly, only to break the silence.

**

* * *

**

A/N: …To be revealed in the next chapter. Please note that I have nothing against any of the characters (except Takada, who was deliberately left out of this one).

**Alright! It'd be lovely if you could pick one suspect for each Kira and second Kira, though… Now's the time I'd REALLY love to know your thoughts. Even if you're just a reader passing through in the future who's reading this: **_**now's your last chance.**_** Re-read the rest of the story if you have time. Feel free to send me your theories in a PM if you're feeling especially ninja-esque, although I'd like to ask you to review anyway if you so choose. Chapter seven, "World," has the biggest hint to second Kira, as already stated. Nobody has figured out this hint yet, though, so I'm a bit less worried. **

**Oh, dear. Don't have character death planned while you're listening to "When Angels Fly Away" by Cold. -emo corner-**


	11. Reveal

**Kira Kira**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Death Note. If I did, I'd have the money to chase Breaking Benjamin through their tours. XD (But I went to a concert anyway.)**

**A/N: All of you, thanks for sticking with me throughout. I love the reviews. It also makes me smile that you read my A/Ns: Chapter Seven has a large number of hits! XD I needed some people to get it wrong, some people to come close, and some people to come REALLY close to know that I'd written it well. You're all very amusing, especially your way of thinking. Some of you would have gotten it right, but you got a little distracted by one fake clue and missed it by a little bit. That clue will be revealed in my A/N at the end.**

**I can't wait for your reactions! I encourage you not to skip ahead. Read it a paragraph at a time?**

* * *

To clarify, perhaps we should go back a bit to Kira's death.

He had been awoken in the middle of the night by a strange thud echoing through his body. And his last thoughts were of how he shouldn't have given up his memories. Kira should not have chosen Mello as second Kira, because he should have known all along that the blonde boy would take everything over,

So predictable. He should have known something would go wrong.

Ironically, the one he had worried about most during the time he didn't have his memories had truly been his downfall. It was all Near's fault.

But we'll clarify some more later.

Mello, meanwhile, took special care to hide that particular scrap of Death Note.

And L could have laughed. He would have, actually, if he could breathe.

The second Kira had fallen right into his trap, after all. He resisted the urge to hiss, "Exactly as planned!" That was pretty easy, considering the fact that, well, he couldn't breathe.

…What an ironic way for him to end as well.

"Kira Two," he gasped, watching Mello's expression on the security monitor. "I won."

The rest of the task force was horrified to discover two bodies at their headquarters.

Aizawa called the _other_ police, taking charge of the situation. While he was giving orders, Matsuda ran, not wanting the rest of the task force to see his nervous breakdown. That brought him to his couch, then to the phone to ask Light about the funeral.

He had assumed that they would have a joint funeral, although he wasn't sure why. In fact, he turned out to be right.

* * *

The chain of events had passed quickly for Light. He came home from his first real best friend's funeral exhausted, glancing vaguely at the computer monitor glowing brightly. _So bright…_ The teen wanted nothing more than to collapse on the bed, but he realized that it was open to his e-mails…

Blinking tiredly, Light scanned the unread messages.

One from Misa….Two from Misa…Alright, a lot from Misa. And one from…well, Light didn't know that his computer read the gothic font.

_L_.

Instantly awake, Light opened the e-mail. And upon reading it, he remembered L's request.

The e-mail was made of one telephone number, an address to some place in England, and nothing more.

Matt answered the hotel phone. To his amazement, he was getting human contact. The only person he'd spoken to was L since he arrived in Japan.

And he knew it wasn't L.

The message had played on the screen of every electronic device in the house.

_L is dead._

"Hello?" Matt muttered distractedly, wondering how he was supposed to get back to England with L dead.

"Hi." Light shifted uncomfortably. "I apologize for calling you so late."

"I haven't been outside in a while. Time doesn't mean anything." The gamer stretched. "Who are you?"

"I'm Light Yagami. I worked with L."

Matt sat up. "Do you have the number I'm supposed to call?"

"It's not a number. It's an address. Where are you?"

"Uh… I wish I knew."

Light sighed. "Look out the window."

Matt walked to the window, happy for the opportunity to get out of that place. "What now?"

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yeah…"

"Take a picture of the tallest building you see."

…Oh, did this Light guy have some virtual map of Tokyo in his head?

Matt agreed and sent it to the e-mail address Light requested.

An hour later, Matt was sitting in the lobby while Light picked up some proper food for the teen. He'd been eating sandwiches for…how long?

* * *

Light got Matt and Mello to England as soon as possible. The plane tickets were obscenely expensive, and evading Light's parents had been no easy matter, either.

And when they arrived at the address in Winchester, they were informed that the head of the strange orphanage already knew what he was about to be told.

But Roger didn't know who Kira and the second Kira were. Light and Matt filled him in, shutting Mello out of the room.

It didn't particularly matter. He hadn't brought his Death Note anyway.

The police were called immediately, and Mello's Death Note was found and confiscated. He was charged as being the first Kira, for the sake of simplicity. The public never even found out that there was a second Kira.

* * *

A week later, Light was talking cheerfully to Matsuda and Aizawa. The subject of the case surfaced somehow, and the atmosphere darkened considerably.

"Yagami-san…Are you disappointed that you were wrong?" Aizawa asked the honorary member of the NPA. Since that ceremony, the members of the task force had begun using slightly more polite speech with the Chief's son. 

Light swirled his tea around in his glass, watching the ice bob up and down. "A bit. I certainly never suspected him."

"Hey, at least you were right about the second Kira!" Matsuda offered.

"Yeah. I suppose I may have even _wanted_ Ryuzaki to be Kira." He shook his head, forcing himself to regain some of his cheerfulness. "Hey, what are we so depressed for? We won, didn't we?"

"We lost two of the greatest minds criminals have ever seen," Aizawa pointed out. "Excluding you, Yagami-san."

"You know, we never learned _any_ of their real names?" Matsuda stared incredulously around the small table. "So even though we know Kira's face…"

"When I was at Wammy's House, they told me." Light smirked knowingly. "But I can't tell you that."

Matsuda puffed his cheeks out. "Why not?"

"How do I know you won't try to kill Matt? He was a good kid." Light chuckled. "Just refer to them by their alias in casual conversation."

"Don't refer to them at all, actually." Aizawa muttered.

"True," Matsuda agreed. "The whole world doesn't need to know that some kid called Near was the great Kira."

Aizawa and Light stared.

"Well, if they didn't know before, they certainly know now."

"Nah," Light disagreed. "They'll probably think we're crazy."

Ryuk gave a rusty chuckle.

"What is it?" Misa muttered.

"Your boyfriend's over there. Apparently, he really did know who Kira was. He helped catch him, from what I hear."

Misa choked on her drink. She waited until she was sure she could speak again before doing so. "Oh, well. I wish he could have told me. Misa-Misa would support him all the way if Misa had known it was _that_ kid."

Ryuk started to ask her how she had met Near but decided against it. It didn't particularly make any difference to him anyway.

* * *

**A/N: Near was worried about himself when he didn't have his memories. That "clue" probably threw too many people off, ne?**

**I hope you'll join me in my new mystery, "Dark"! And Mika-san (Darkness Veils Hidden Sorrow, check the reviews for a link to her profile) said she'd write "Eru Eru" as well.**

**Last chance to drop me a line! Did you flip Tamaki-style? A lot of people got one or the other right, but not a lot were dead on about both. Congrats to you all! L would be proud. (I didn't want to kill him off, you know!)**

**Oh, did I leave out the explanation of the clue in the seventh chapter? Ask in a review if you want to know. I'll even tell you what I thought while reading your thoughts on the last chapter, if you ask.**


	12. Bonus Chapter

"Kira must have failed to kill him."

**In honor of over a hundred reviews, ****I'll tell you what you missed.**

**The two biggest mysteries, in my opinion. ****Or at least the ones I like the best...**

**Part one is chapter seven's BIG clue.**

**Part two is a little fill-in for chapter ten.**

* * *

"Kira must have failed to kill him…" Mello sat down, rubbing the toes of his shoes together.

L ignored the statement for the most part, due to the distraction of Matsuda dancing in. "What is it, Matsuda-san?"

However, later that night, L ran the line through his head. It did not stick right. Somehow, it was on the edge of his comprehension…

How could Kira kill Near with a car?

L had not discussed his theories with the rest of the task force on that matter. Kira could kill with means other than a heart attack. Mello admired L enough to tell him if he made that kind of breakthrough. So what was that about?

Mello had to be one of the Kiras. That was the only way he could know that Kira had other methods of killing him. Mello had said it to imply that he was not Kira, but the slip-up would be his undoing.

* * *

"Chief! Chief!" Matsuda skidded down the hall in his socks, blushing at his obviously unprofessional manner.

Predictably, he had gotten lost in the large building. The cheerful man hoped L wasn't watching the security monitors. He probably was a sight to behold, running around in such a disheveled state.

At last, another corridor opened up before Matsuda, but Yagami-san was shuffling a stack of papers and not paying attention to where he was going. Matsuda slammed into the older man in his haste.

The little slip of paper he had planned to slip to Souchiro fluttered to the floor.

Matsuda shook his head, and then scrambled among the pages of notebook paper. Oh, GREAT! Which one was it? The notebook paper seemed to be everywhere.

Finally, he uncovered a scrap different from the rest. "Hey… Hey, Chief! I have proof that Mello is second Kira!"

"Mello? Impossible…"

"Yeah? Well, why don't you ask his little shadow?" The young officer shoved the scrap of paper against the older man's arm. "When you see it, do not freak out. Trust me, you will want to."

Souchiro stood and brushed some invisible dirt off of his clothes. He walked away without a word.

* * *

**A/N: I bet you'd never think it really WAS a scrap of Death Note, hahaha!!**

**Don't own Death Note. Thank you all for reading Kira Kira! My apologies for kicking a dead horse here, but I couldn't help myself.**

**Maybe I was inspired in part by reading ****Another Note**** for the third time? Best book ever. Read it. Now.**


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